POPE FRANCIS: THE HOPE AND THE CHALLENGE

Those who have been urging the Catholic Church to get with the times may have gotten their wish with the selection as pope of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina.

The new pontiff — Francis — is the first non-European to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. A Jesuit, he’s considered a moderate and a modernist, and in his opening remarks he even exhibited a sense of humor, noting that Cardinals tasked with appointing a new pope “went to fetch him at the end of the world.”

The choice was a practical one: Latin America is home to about 40 percent of the world’s Catholics, and remains a stronghold for the Church as much of the world drifts toward secularism.

But don’t expect Pope Francis to shake things up too much. In Argentina, he spoke out against gay adoptions and was criticized for not standing up against the military dictatorship that ruled the country in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

Pope Francis’ biggest challenge, though, will be to bridge the new with the old, to maintain the Church’s traditions and teachings and at the same time exhibit a willingness to at least acknowledge that times are changing.

Perhaps the most important thing the new pontiff can do as the world’s eyes are on the Vatican is to address the lingering priest sex abuse scandal in a forthright and assertive manner, and make it perfectly clear that the Catholic Church does not tolerate the scandal and subsequent coverup in any way, shape or form.

CNN Vatican watcher John Allen said the choice of the name Francis symbolizes “poverty, humility, simplicity and rebuilding the Catholic Church.”

Owning up to mistakes of the past would be a good first step in that direction.